


falling leaves (of red and gold)

by 5-5-k (Vsquaredk)



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Established Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, F/F, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Kara Danvers Knows Lena Luthor Knows Kara Danvers Is Supergirl, Lena Luthor Knows Kara Danvers Is Supergirl, Lena Luthor Needs a Hug, Lena Luthor-centric, Mentioned Bruce Wayne, Mild Hurt/Comfort, POV Lena Luthor, Soft Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, are the tags in order? never
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:01:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27308890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vsquaredk/pseuds/5-5-k
Summary: Lena's selling the Luthor Manor, and gets a little closure on the way.For 7 of the Halloween/Fall prompts put out by the Supercorp Big Bang.
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 7
Kudos: 83





	falling leaves (of red and gold)

**Author's Note:**

> For the following 7 Supercorp Big Bang [Halloween/Fall Prompts](https://supercorpbb.tumblr.com/post/633513279151620096/welcome-to-the-scbb-halloween-fall-prompts):
> 
> 🙞 Haunted House  
> 🙞 Scarves/Hot Chocolate  
> 🙞 Falling Leaves/Leaf Piles  
> 🙞 Lena sees Kara wearing a plaid button up with the sleeves rolled up for the first time and loses her damn mind  
> 🙞 Sweaters (striped sweaters & when the best time to wear them is)  
> 🙞 Chilly Weather, &...  
> 🙞 Nature Walks
> 
> _Thanks to[Lesbionest](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lesbionest) and [kswhateverspace](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kswhateverspace) for betaing this fic on the fly. You two rock!_

There is little that Lena misses about Metropolis.

The ghost of Lex and his deeds haunt the steely, hard streets, as do the echoes of the words that spill from Lillian’s scathing, unkind tongue. What vestiges of goodness that she had managed to scrounge up for herself, in her past life, had been ruined, tainted by her so-called brother, the day that Lex unleashed the Red Sun.

Indeed, there is very, very little that Lena misses about Metropolis.

Now that Lex is dead (…again), Lena is stuck with having to return; she needs to tie up loose ends. The long-time employees have been given astounding early retirement packages, or severance bonuses and glowing recommendations (especially for Berta, the rosy-cheeked, twinkly-eyed cook that always snuck Lena an extra cookie when Lillian wasn’t looking). She’s long since cut off the power and heat in the house, and she’s only here to finalize the sale of the entire estate, and whatever lies within it, to Wayne Enterprises.

The Luthor Manor echoes with cacophonous silence (and the ghostly whispers of caustic words spoken long ago), and Lena fights a wince. She can feel a headache coming on, and she’ll be glad to leave.

The clicking of her heels resounds through the empty halls as she makes her way out, past the multiple sitting rooms and the ostentatious dining room, through a pair of double doors and onto the large balcony that overlooks the expansive backyard. The crisp morning autumn air fills her lungs, and she shivers involuntarily, tugging at the sleeves of her thin crewneck top in an attempt to cover her hands. Her mind jumps to the thick, fluffy, striped sweater sitting on the bed of the hotel room. It’s Kara’s, obviously, and she had nearly worn it today, having seen the weather report, but she hadn’t wanted the sweater (which still smelled like the Kryptonian) to be tainted by the stale poisonous air of Luthor Manor. The thought of the other woman brings a slight smile to her face as she turns her eyes out towards the forest surrounding the estate.

The trees, the brilliant red, yellow and orange trees, have her smile reaching her eyes. Leaves litter the grounds, and she thinks of Edgar, who used to work at the Manor, who had always been kind to the youngest Luthor. Who had managed to pull her first laugh out of her, when she had first arrived, by throwing her into a towering pile of red, yellow and orange leaves, only for her to pull herself out and ask for it to happen _Again, again!_

She lets out a little sigh and leans onto the stone parapet of the balcony, trying to capture this view one last time.

There is so incredibly little that Lena misses about Metropolis, but the magnificence of the fall foliage is one thing she wishes she could take with her to National City.

🙒🙓🙑🙐

Some time passes before Lena is pulled from her thoughts by the soft sound of boots touching down on the cobblestone behind her.

"Hey," Kara steps closer, and Lena can’t help but lean back into her warmth. "You look like you might be cold."

"A little..." Lena turns slightly as (unfairly) toasty arms snake around her, bending back a ways to kiss Kara lightly on the cheek. A small smirk crawls across her face as the kiss interrupts whatever retort is about to drop from Kara's lips. “My jacket is in the front room, but you were supposed to be here a while ago. I needed a good excuse for you to warm me up."

“You know you never need an excuse for that,” Kara whispers, voice taking on a lower, gravelly texture. Lena lets out a soft gasp as Kara nips playfully at her ear lobe with a tiny growl before stepping away. “Jess mentioned you’d probably forget to dress appropriately for the weather, so I got you something.”

Air whispers around Lena as a strangely familiar heavy woolen blanket scarf is carefully draped over her shoulders. The weight and velvety texture of the shawl, and the aromatic scent of cedar that suddenly surrounds her, pulls at something long buried in the dusty boxes of her mind. Trembling fingers reach up to caress the fabric, toying with the soft fringe at the edges, before gripping it tightly, as if unable to let it go.

“Where did you find this?” Lena’s voice is hoarse and thick with the tears that are shimmering in her eyes.

“In Ireland. In a house in, uh, Cill Chiaráin, I think it was called?” Kara steps back in towards Lena, cradling her into her in a backwards embrace and swaying slightly.

“This was my mother’s.”

“I know.”

“And my grandmother’s.”

Kara hums in acknowledgement, letting herself float slightly so she can rest her chin on the top of Lena's head.

“I-” Lena sniffs. “I used to pull this out from the wooden chest by my mother’s bed, and wear it like how I’d seen the older ladies in town would-” A laugh escapes her then, unbidden. “And my mom, she would laugh, and laugh…” Lena grins through her tears, then, letting the glow of her memories warm her soul. “Thank you. I always wondered what happened to this.”

“Would you believe me if I said it was in a dusty wooden box by a bed?” Lena clutches the shawl even closer to her, and shakes her head. “I’ll take you there sometime.”

“I’d like that a lot, I think.” Lena’s words are muffled by the warm fabric around her face, but she knows Kara hears her by the way the embrace tightens minutely in reply.

🙒🙓🙑🙐

The sun breaks through its thick shroud of grey clouds around 2pm, not long after Mr. Wayne ( _“Please, call me Bruce,” he says, a charming smile spread across his face. Lena smirks, shaking his proffered hand. “I’d rather not, Mr. Wayne, if that’s alright with you.”_ ) leaves, with the promise of a celebratory dinner in the city later.

( _“For three, right?”_

 _Lena looks up, then, with wide eyes, from where she is studying the annotations Mr. Wayne has added to their agreement. He throws her a wink, pointing first at the thin band of white gold winding its way around her wrist, then upwards at the coffered ceiling of what used to be Lionel’s old study. His finger points, ostensibly, towards where Kara is waiting for her upstairs. Lena raises her eyebrows, suddenly very intrigued, and nods._ )

The sale is more or less completed, and it’s like a weight has been lifted off of Lena’s shoulders. It’s like the estate itself knows that new things are coming, what with the way that the bright sun streams in through the windows, catching on the dust that was disturbed as Lena makes her way back to the main floor.

When Kara floats down from the second floor landing in a new outfit, carrying hiking boots that are too small for the blonde, Lena knows she’s in trouble. Firstly, Kara is wearing a _plaid flannel_ , and it's a bright red plaid, which Lena doesn’t expect. The juxtaposition between this top and the pastels Lena is used to seeing on the blonde is as surprising as it is sexy.

Secondly, Kara looks ethereal, almost dreamlike, floating in the dustlight, sun catching on her golden hair. She’s a goddess suspended in the middle of swirling cascading stars. She’s breathtaking, and Lena wants to worship at her altar, sing her praises, give thanks to the universe that, in all the ways molecules wanted to bind themselves to one another to create matter, they did so that she, Lena Luthor, could inhabit the same space as Kara Danvers at this moment in time.

Lastly, Kara’s top is sinfully tight. Lena isn’t immune to the way the soft material clings to Kara’s powerful shoulders and biceps. Or the way Kara has left _just_ enough of the buttons undone around the collar, collarbone peeking out, as if to tease one (1) CEO, as she bends over to drop the boots she’s carrying. Or the way watching Kara roll up the cuffs, her tongue poking out slightly as the sleeves tighten around her forearms, fully makes the world fall away. Lena licks her lips as she watches Kara through hooded eyes, suddenly parched as she traces the outline of Kara’s muscles that are made visible by the lithe way Kara moves towards her.

It takes a moment or two for Lena to register that Kara is looking at her, and soft, pink lips opening and closing, forming words, pausing before pulling upwards to reveal a bright white smile.

“Come again?” _Shit_. Lena hasn’t heard a damn word, and, judging by the way Kara’s smile is morphing into a smirk, Kara is well aware.

“I _said…_ did you maybe want to go for a short walk with me?” 

Lena wrinkles her nose at the idea; she absolutely despises hiking, and she knows that Kara knows it. But Kara has this hopeful look on her face that Lena is always weak to…

She peers down at her heels, before looking back up at Kara. To Kara’s credit, she’s already prepared, and merely gestures behind her towards the hiking boots on the ground.

“Pretty please?”

Lena sighs and shrugs, well aware that she doesn’t have the willpower to resist Kara in _that_ top, especially if Kara’s patented pout comes out in full force. It _is_ beautifully sunny out, and it _is_ fall… “Fine,” Lena grumbles. The grin Kara lets out at Lena’s reluctant assent is almost worth the effort of going on the hike itself.

🙒🙓🙑🙐

Nothing is worth the effort of hiking, Lena decides, not even Kara’s ass in those jeans.

“It’s not much further, I promise!”

Lena massages a stitch in her side. “You said that ten minutes ago,” she gasps out, winded, “and twenty minutes before that!”

They’re deep in the forest surrounding the manor, and the fiery colours of fall surround them. The trail they’re on is littered with blazing red sumac, bright orange maple, deep ruddy oak, and soft yellow birch leaves, and what sunlight makes it through the branches colours everything around them in warm, inviting hues.

It’s beautiful, at first, and serene in a way Lena isn’t used to associating with her childhood home. There are birds flitting from branch to branch overhead, and woodpeckers knocking for their food high above them. Chattering squirrels dart by, fighting over acorns and uncaring that these tall, hulking bipedal organisms have entered their domain. Somewhere, just out of sight, there’s a burbling stream. The first half hour, the pair hike in silence, unwilling to disturb the oasis they’ve entered.

But then Kara keeps leading them slightly further into the woods, and then onto an incline that keeps steadily getting steeper. The longer they go on, the less Lena is taken in by the forest surrounding them, and the more her legs complain from the exertion. More than once, her feet slip on dew-slick leaves, or catch on overly enthusiastic tree roots, but Kara always reaches out in time to pull Lena towards her, arm winding around her waist.

“You’re flying us back to the hotel,” Lena mumbles from where she’s hunched over and leaning on a tree to catch her breath.

Lena watches as Kara turns in a circle, face passive and eyes sweeping through the forest, almost as if she can see through them to where she wants them to go.

“We’re not lost, are we?” Lena’s lips purse in slight annoyance. 

“Oh, no. We’re definitely not lost!” Kara turns back to her, infectious grin back in place. She points confidently right. “It’s just past those trees, I swear to Rao.” When Lena only lifts an eyebrow in response, Kara sheepishly rubs at the back of her head, blush crawling up her neck. “I… may have underestimated how far of a hike it was when I flew by earlier.” 

Lena huffs out a laugh as she pulls herself back onto her feet. “Lead the way, darling.” As she sidles up to the blonde, she jabs her in the chest. “But this better be worth it-” Kara nods vigorously. “-and you owe me a foot massage when we get home.”

“Definitely!” Kara beams at her, all twinkly eyed and eager. “And a bubble bath.” Kara moves as if to keep walking, but pauses. “Oh, and one of our good bottles of wine.”

Lena snorts inelegantly. “A pleasure doing business with you, Ms. Danvers.”

“Likewise, Ms. Luthor.” Kara gestures with her head. “We’re maybe 15 feet from the finish line. Think you can manage?” At Lena’s nod, they move as one through the undergrowth, and come out into a small clearing.

There’s no way Lena can keep in her gasp at the view; it’s stunning. They’ve somehow found their way to the top of an escarpment, hidden by the kaleidoscope of treetops they had just made their way through. Beyond the sea of reds, oranges, yellows (and the odd dark green evergreen) lies the Luthor estate in all its glory, but from where they are, above the trees, it seems small. Almost insignificant. Like a doll house, or a postcard.

( _A small part of her, the part not exhausted by the hike or shocked by the view, giggles at the irony of the idea of sending Lillian a postcard of the majesty before them, superimposed with “Wish You Were Here!” in a stereotypical flowing font._ )

“Kara…” Lena turns to find Kara on a small picnic blanket opening a large thermos. “When did you… how…?” All but in a stupor, Lena stumbles over, crumpling onto the blanket beside the Kryptonian. A small, steaming cup makes its way into her hands, and with it the scent of rich chocolate, with a hint of peppermint.

“I found it on my way in from Ireland, earlier, and had a feeling you’ve never gotten to see it like this…” Kara pauses to take a sip of her cocoa. “The Manor, I mean. I thought it’d be nice to say goodbye to it from here, away from all the ghosts and bad memories.” Lena glances away from the view to look at Kara, only to see love and concern dancing in blue eyes that are staring back at her. “I hope that’s okay?”

Lena nods, overwhelmed. She isn’t sure she can trust her voice right now.

A wry smile creeps onto Kara’s face as she reaches out to tap lightly on the mug in Lena’s hand. “You should have some hot chocolate before it gets cold.” Kara turns to look back out over the trees. “Anyway, National City doesn’t have trees that change colour, which is a darn shame, because this is so pretty! What do you think about maybe getting a little cabin by a lake in northern Vermont? Something just for the two of us.”

Lena’s smile is almost shy as she nods. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Me too!” Kara grins. “We should start looking after the wedding, we’ve got enough on our plate right now.”

Lena nods, amused.

“Oh! What if we had a rope swing? I’ve always wanted to try a rope swing! We should also build a fun obstacle course for the squirrels on the property. Have you seen those youtube videos where people build obstacle courses for squirrels? I’ll show you one when we get back to the hotel, but I think we should definitely do that! And the cabin should be rustic. Like, wood stove for heat, outside showers, rope ladders and built around trees kinda rustic! And there should be a sunroof, and a balcony, and it should be completely made out of wood! And-”

Lena is happy to let the love of her life brainstorm aloud about their future cabin as she leans on her shoulder, eyes crinkling as she takes a sip from the perfectly crafted hot chocolate.

Her heart has never felt so full.

🙒🙓🙑🙐

Lena really doesn't miss much about Metropolis.

To her, it’s drab and filled with dark memories of a past better left behind her. And it’s much too vertical for her tastes. National City is her home, now. Her chosen family is there, as is her life, and her love.

And in the future, who knows? Lena certainly doesn’t.

Lena’s more than happy to put down roots wherever the wind takes her, even if that’s an overly indulgent wooden treehouse on a cliff overlooking a lake in a remote stretch of Vermont, as long as Kara is by her side.

**Author's Note:**

> 🙞 the scarf referenced is a Galway Shawl  
> 🙞 Cill Chiaráin (also known as Kilkieran) is a small coastal village in County Galway  
> 🙞 the title is from Autumn Leaves (specifically the Eva Cassidy version)
> 
> as always, you can find me @v2k1k1 on [twitter](https://twitter.com/v2k1k1) or [instagram](https://instagram.com/v2k1k1) but I’m most active on [tumblr @5-5-k](https://5-5-k.tumblr.com)


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